head to head · open source
Joplin vs mindforger
Joplin has 56,433 GitHub stars, 6,297 forks, 632 open issues and last shipped today. mindforger has 2,719 stars, 173 forks, 625 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. Joplin leads on adoption by 1,976% (56,433 vs 2,719 stars). Joplin is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; mindforger is written in C++ under GPL-2.0. Joplin has attracted 11% as many forks as stars, mindforger 6%. Joplin was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| Joplin | mindforger | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 56K | ★ 2.7K |
| License | Custom / other | GPL-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | C++ |
| Last push | 2026-09-19 | 2026-09-16 |
| Forks | ⑂ 6.3K | ⑂ 173 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Joplin if
- You weight community size — 56K stars and counting
- You want the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick mindforger if
- You want the mindforger feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You evaluated both and mindforger fits your workflow better
About Joplin
Joplin is a free, open source, privacy focused note taking and to do application that keeps notes as Markdown on your own device and synchronises them, end to end encrypted, across Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS.
read the full Joplin overview →
About mindforger
MindForger is a free, open source thinking notebook and Markdown editor for people who keep private remarks — ideas, personal plans, gift tips, how tos, dreams, business vision, finance strategy, auto coaching notes — on their own machine and want to find and connect them again instead of scattering them across the file system, cloud, web, and Post it notes.
read the full mindforger overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Joplin or mindforger more popular?
Joplin has 56,433 GitHub stars and mindforger has 2,719. Joplin has the larger community by that measure.
Are Joplin and mindforger free?
Both are open source. Joplin has no licence declared in this registry, and mindforger is licensed under GPL-2.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Joplin and mindforger?
Joplin is written in TypeScript and mindforger in C++. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Joplin or mindforger?
Choose Joplin if you want the larger community (56,433 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose mindforger if its feature set, stack or GPL-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.